Mount Hypipamee National Park

The park is centred around a deep, cylindrical volcanic pipe with a lake at the bottom. Several different forest types, within a small area, are home to remarkable diversity of possums.

Getting there and getting around

Mount Hypipamee National Park is next to the Kennedy Highway, 25km south of Atherton. Atherton is 96km from Cairns via the Kennedy Highway and 80km via the Gillies Highway. The park can also be reached from Malanda (15km) via a partially unsealed road.

Park features

Located high on the southern Evelyn Tableland, in the Hugh Nelson Range, this park is centred around a diatreme or what is commonly referred to as a volcanic pipe or vent, thought to have been created by a massive gas explosion. A platform at the end of a 400m walking track through the rainforest provides an uninterrupted view of the remaining crater. The crater is less than 70m across with sheer granite walls (the surface rock through which the gas exploded). Fifty-eight metres below the rim is a lake about 82m deep covered with a green layer of native waterweed. A remarkable variety of vegetation types, including high-altitude rainforest, grows in this small park. It is a hot spot for possums with several different species inhabiting the area and a good place for seeing high-altitude birds.

Things to do

>>Walking>>Picnic and day-use areas>>Viewing wildlife

Staying safe

Please remain on the walking tracks at all times and stay behind the fence at the viewing platform. Children should be supervised. Take adequate water and protect yourself from the sun. Avoid stinging trees. These plants are found at rainforest edges. They grow to approximately 3-4 metres high and have large, heart-shaped leaves with serrated edges. DO NOT TOUCH these plants as it will almost certainly result in a very painful sting. If you are stung, seek medical advice.

Looking after the park

Place your rubbish in the bins provided and do not throw any objects into the crater. Brushtail possums are often seen around the carpark, especially at dusk. Feeding of wildlife is prohibited as it causes unnaturally large concentrations of bolder animals in one area, leading to fights and to the displacement of other, shyer species. Human food is also unhealthy for them.If you are spotlighting, use lights of less than 30W strength, with red filters, to minimise disturbance to the animals; the eyes of nocturnal creatures are very light sensitive.